Solstice (Santa Wears Prada Series Part 2)
by TheAfterglow
Summary: No one had ever spoken to her like this. She felt betrayed by the flush that came over her. She shouldn't like it. She shouldn't. But she did. (Rey accepts Ben's indecent proposal to spend Christmas with him and finds out if she's naughty or he's nice. Modern Reylo AU/Secret Santa/Mild Bondage/Mild Praise Kink/Smut and Angst and Feels. Continuation of "8 Days of Christmas")


They walked several blocks in silence before he reached over and laced his gloved fingers through hers.

"Okay?" His sidelong glance betrayed his hesitation.

And… a desire to please her.

Rey nodded and looked down at the pointy toe of her new shoes while they waited to cross at a light. The black leather shined in the fading light. It was already nearly dusk, and the street lights were beginning to come on.

"Christ, why are we even waiting?" Ben laughed. "We're the only ones out here. C'mon," he started into the street against the signal, tugging her along behind him.

Rey giggled and let him lead her. She felt off balance with the heavy leather bag on her shoulder with her textbook in it and the plastic bag full of their leftovers in her opposite hand. She hadn't been able to meet Mr. Wong's eyes as he had tied up the package and stuck in two pairs of chopsticks next to the food.

"For later. Enjoy!" He raised an eyebrow as he pushed the food across the counter.

They covered a few blocks more before Rey found her voice to ask, "So… Are we going to your place?"

Ben was quiet for four strides before answering her. "No."

Rey wasn't sure what answer would've made her less nervous. Going to one of their places seemed too personal for the situation, and her place was frankly embarrassing- their bargain furniture scrounged from sales, the tinsel tree, her unmade twin bed. Not to mention fairly far away, in a very unhip neighborhood. It would take another 45 minutes to reach it by bus on the holiday schedule.

But they were striding quickly downhill towards the ritzy downtown district where she knew call girls worked the hotel lounges, waiting to pick up businessmen and out of towners. She and Finn and Jess had gone for drinks at one top-level lounge and Jess had come bustling back from the bathroom in a rush.

"Someone just tried to proposition me as I waited!" Her cheeks had been flushed from the surprise. "Do I look like a hooker?"

Once they'd stopped laughing, they'd assured her that her black dress was classic and not at all suggestive, but Jess had pouted into her cocktail the rest of the evening.

Rey's nervous excitement dipped a notch and tipped to pure nerves as they turned the corner and exited the street through a door of a hotel manned by bellhops wearing white gloves and caps. She kept her eyes on the floor so as not to trip on the dark, expensive-looking rugs in her heels, but it didn't escape her notice how her companion merely nodded at the desk staff and they nodded back. The lobby was imposing, done in marble and leather and potted palms and strung up to the nines for the holidays with garlands and lights. A massive, two-story tree stood in a rotunda near the registration desk. They passed it without a look.

The elevators were glass pods on the exterior of the building, and Rey turned from him to gaze out over the city as they began their ascent. She didn't see what floor he pushed. The ride took an eternity with families and guests boarding at nearly every floor, and he finally leaned back against the railing next to her to wait it out, facing the doors with his arms crossed.

Her voice echoed slightly on the glass. "You come here often?"

He turned to look at her and she didn't meet his eyes. The sun was just slipping behind the line of the horizon out over the water.

"Not since I was a kid, with my folks." She believed his tone. "And you?"

She could hear the smile in his voice. He was teasing her.

"Oh yeah, just last weekend," Rey rolled her eyes and glanced at him. His eyes were back to being relaxed and earnest. A slow smile crumpled his face and her stomach fluttered. He really wasn't her type, or… what she _thought_ was her type.

Not that she'd had any type in awhile. There simply wasn't time for that.

But she could not deny there was something about him that drew her to him, made her look twice. It hadn't escaped her notice how some of her fellow employees at the store had outright made doe-eyes at him.

"You're an attorney?" Rey knew the answer. Finn didn't talk much about the firm, but she had gathered it was the type that represented corporate clients. Ones with lots of money to make unsavory things disappear from the public eye.

Ben paused a moment before answering, looking at the floor and shrugging. "Yeah. We…." He trailed off, seeming to struggle for words. "I know we're not the good guys."

His admission hung between them and she chose not to comment on it.

The elevator finally stopped and she heard the doors open behind her. They were nearly at the top of the building.

Though done in a completely different style, the hallway of the floor was no less opulent than the entryway far below them. Rey trailed her fingers along the edge of a gold scalloped table with a heavy marble top, a nod at baroque decadence topped by a clock in a glass bell jar that depicted a pair of cherubs touching hands across the clock face. It was a stark contrast to the restaurant, from her apartment, from… her. She paused behind him as he fumbled with the door key. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, picturing Finn's gift and steeling herself.

"Ben," she blurted out before she lost her nerve. He turned back to her, holding the door open for her in front of him. "I just want you to know, I don't…." She faltered, grasping for words. "Do this kind of thing."

His brow furrowed slightly and he narrowed his eyes at her. "This kind of thing…?"

Oh, no, he was going to think she was a…

"Not regularly, I mean," Rey rushed to clarify herself. "This kind of thing." She gestured vaguely at their surroundings and stuck out her foot as clarification.

His amusement at her confession was palpable. "So I hear, sweetheart." He beckoned her inside with a tilt of his head, and she squared her shoulders and entered the room with what she hoped looked like confidence.

She placed th- _her_ bag on the dresser along with the food and proceeded straight to the window. It was a floor-to-ceiling view, and she teetered on the heels as she leaned her forehead against the cool glass to look down at the city below. The light was fading quickly from the sky and the artificial ones twinkled below on the square. She could make out the bright, white rectangle of the ice skating rink and the city tree glowing near it.

"So Rey," his voice startled her in its nearness a moment before she felt his hand slide around her and splay out over her lower stomach. "Have you been naughty or nice this year?"

Rey's eyes fell closed and she drew a sharp breath to feel his fingers working at the button of her jeans. He brushed her hair away from her face with his other and she shuddered to feel his lips against the span of her neck.

"Do you think anyone-" She paused when his fingers slipped under the edge of her sweater and grazed her bare stomach before continuing lower, under the waistband of her pants and even-she stiffened- into the top of the panties. "Can anyone see us up here?"

His chuckle sounded predatory and she hated that she loved how it sounded. "Would you like if they could?"

She pushed her hands flat against the cool, slippery glass and spread her feet to press her bottom back against him. His hand was hot against the curve of her body, the thin material of the underwear the only thing between it and her sex. Her heartbeat throbbed between her legs as he traced the entrance to her body through the soaking material.

Her breath hitched as she tried to answer him. "Which would you rather- that I was naughty or nice?"

His fingers withdrew and he spun her around to face him. "That depends," he hedged. He grasped the hem of her sweater and drew it over her head, tossing it onto the armchair nearby. "I've got a list of naughty things I'd like to do to a nice girl like you."

Rey's mouth fell open slightly. No one had ever spoken to her like this. She felt betrayed by the flush that came over her. She shouldn't like it.

She shouldn't.

But she did.

"And what makes you think I'm a nice girl?" Rey found her voice and brushed her fingers down his lower stomach to the button on his fly. The bulge beneath her knuckles strained against the denim. His eyes followed her hand and he held his breath as she raked her nails over his length through his pants. He set his teeth and hissed as she did it again. "Hmmm?" She tiptoed her fingers up and set to unbuttoning his shirt. His hands cupped her bottom, squeezing and kneading and she felt thick-lidded as he gently tugged down her jeans. They hobbled her halfway down her legs, unable to fall off over the shoes.

"Those look good on you," he remarked, admiring his handiwork. "Everything fits."

"Imagine that." She glanced up at him through her lashes. She was nearly done with the buttons, and Rey bit her lip as she parted the front of his shirt. She wouldn't have guessed a lawyer would be this…

Without warning, he turned her around once more and guided her to the table near the window. She could barely shuffle with her jeans binding her legs, but his arm around her waist kept her from tripping into a puddle.

"Put your hands on the table." His voice was a low rumble in her ear. She placed them flat in front of her.

"Farther away."

She slid them forwards a few inches.

"Farther."

She bent at the waist slightly, slipping her palms further away from her. She was bent far enough forwards her ass was sticking up behind her.

He nudged her feet apart with his toe and whispered, "Farther."

Once her fingers curled around the opposite edge, he released her and pronounced, "Good girl."

She heard the rustle of his shirt as he shucked it off and a dull thud as he dropped to his knees behind her. Her heart pounded against the cool, smooth tabletop and she was sure he could hear it. The sun was fully down and the room was lit only by the artificial glow from the city below them.

Her thighs trembled from the strain of keeping her balance in the preposterous heels, but it was her knees that nearly buckled when she felt him move the scrap of lace between her legs to the side. She scrunched her eyes tight and tried not to make a sound as his thick fingers traced her folds.

"You're awfully wet for a nice girl, Rey," his voice had grown husky. "Maybe I was wrong about you."

She arched her back and shifted between her feet, trying to relieve the tension in her legs. His hand gripped the globe of her rear and he gave it a firm squeeze. She could feel the pattern of the lace on her skin beneath his hand. Without meaning to, a tiny moan slipped out of her.

His hand stilled for a second before one of his fingers slid into her. She clenched around the intrusion and he murmured soothing sounds before adding another.

Rey gripped the edge of the table and could no longer bite back the needy sounds that he drew from her. His hand slid easily now, slick with her desire. She took care of herself well enough, but had never managed the same mind-numbing pleasure with someone else. But now she could feel the same excitement building in her. It confused her even as she chased it. What was wrong with her, letting a stranger bend her over a table in a hotel and finger-fuck her because he talked dirty to her but bought her nice things?

"You're… you're…." She gasped, the pressure from his hand nearly unbearable.

"I'm what?" He sounded smug and she hated, hated that it made her want him more.

"You're a monster," she managed.

"Yes, I am."

Her wail echoed off the window as she broke, spasming around his hand. Her knees shook and she twisted against the table but it was solid, holding her up as he wrung her climax from her. Rey's cheek was damp where her breath had condensed on the table from panting open-mouthed, and her hair had fallen over her eyes and stuck at her lips. Any number of the words in Jess's romance novels might've applied to her, but the one that repeated itself in her mind was _debauched_.

Yes, debauched. His hand withdrew with a wet sound and he peeled her up from the table to suck at her neck, her ear, then her lips as she let her head loll back against his shoulder.

He walked her to the bed with his arms around her and guided her down on the edge. The mattress felt firm and her legs quivered.

Just then, her stomach growled.

She froze at the sound and looked up at him. His laugh cut the tension she felt with him standing over her, silhouetted by the light from the window. He was not a small man.

"Are you still hungry?" He looked amused.

"I guess I am," she admitted without thinking.

"Open your mouth." His thumb pressed down on her chin and she realized he had something besides their leftovers in mind. "Clean these off, you naughty girl." His fingers filled her mouth and her own salty, sticky taste coated her tongue.

He watched her clean his fingers intently, and his face betrayed his intent a moment before he eased the zipper of his jeans down. The small sound it made went straight to her core, and despite herself, Rey could feel an ember beginning to glow between her legs.

"My eyes are up here." She gripped fistfulls of the bedspread and continued to suck at his fingers, looking up at him once more. It was all she could do not to look down as his fingers pressed against her tongue. He eased his jeans and underwear off with one hand and he was standing close enough over her that she could feel the heat radiating from his lower body.

"That's good," he praised her, finally withdrawing his hand to twist it into her hair. "Hungry little Rey."

Her eyes widened when she saw the task in front of her. Of course, it stood to reason. He was a tall man. Things were usually…. proportional. The ember flared into a lick of flame and her cheeks burned with anticipation.

Other words sprang to her mind now.

Defiled.

Rey set to her work without hesitation, and delighted at the soft, guff sounds she drew from him. She could taste herself even with his cock filling her mouth, and the mingling of their scents was a undeniable turn-on.

He gave up trying to direct her in short order and stood with his hands on her shoulders, letting her have her way. She reveled in her power over him, in how every flick of her tongue, every squeeze of her hand stuttered his breathing. His eyes were closed and she had never felt such pleasure herself in this act as when she heard his filthy, needy utterances.

She slowed her rhythm when he whispered, "Wanna cum in your mouth, please, Rey - please?"

He sounded desperate. She released him with a wet smack and worked his swollen head against her open, ready lips, looking up at him through her lashes. _Yes, you can defile me_ , she thought, closing her eyes a moment before she felt his cum hit her cheek and she licked his length as a second hot spurt hit her tongue.

For all his assured bluster before, he was surprisingly quiet in that moment, his face a blank mask. She was breathing hard and licked her lips, swallowing him down. The taste lingered sharply on the back of her tongue. She laved at him, cleaning him until he stopped her with a hand in her hair once more.

He thumbed away the strand of his spend clinging to her cheek and looked slightly embarrassed. "Sorry, I missed."

She grasped his fingers and drew them to her mouth to clean them. Her scent still lingered on them. His mouth fell open and his breathing sounded pinched while he watched her.

She lay back, propped up on her elbows and braced on foot flat against his broad chest. "Take these off," she commanded. She angled the sharp heel against him when he was slow to comply.

His cock twitched at her order and a smug grin curled her lips. His fingers seemed too big for the delicate straps of her shoes and he shoved her jeans up her calves to get at them better. He fumbled at the buckle but finally got one free, dropping it to the carpet with a soft thunk. Its mate came off more easily, and he smoothed his palms over the tops of her bare feet propped against his chest. She moaned when his thumbs pressed into her aching arches. She hadn't even been aware how sore they were until just then.

His attentions made her feel greedy and she pouted when he stopped to tug her jeans the rest of the way off her legs. They joined the rest of their clothes in a useless pile on the floor.

"Now then," Ben continued, stroking the planes of her long legs and reaching for the shoe that rested next to her on the comforter. "You're going to put these back on."

"But…" Her protest was weak as he fit the shoe back to her foot, working more quickly now. Her fight died when he pressed a kiss to the inside of her other ankle before bending to retrieve the other shoe. His teeth grazed her skin and she was silently thankful she had bothered to shave before leaving her place.

"There." He tugged the buckle closed with a sharp jerk and hugged her legs together in one massive arm, twisting them to the side to lean over her to kiss her bare stomach. His whiskers tickled as he murmured, "You look better like this."

She cocked her head to the side and let him drape her knees over one shoulder. It was plenty warm in the room and she was starting to feel a touch overheated with the furnace of his torso pressing against the backs of her legs. He kissed his way up her stomach to her sternum and she squeaked to feel his half-hardness brush her between her legs through the panties. He chuckled at her, capturing one wrist above her head before straining up to steal a kiss from her lips.

"You still have a few gifts left," Ben remarked, and she followed his gaze to the bag where it lay on the dresser. "You've been good enough to take your pick."

He released her to roll away and she teetered on shaky legs to unzip the bag. She caught sight of her reflection in the bathroom door mirror and it was hard not to stare. A stranger looked back at her.

She barely recognized herself: the height of the heels skewed her proportions and caused an arch in her back that made her stick out her chest to compensate. She couldn't see her freckles in the low light of the room and her hair looked wild. She rarely wore it down because it became an untameable mess.

She shook her head at herself and rooted around in her bag to find the scarf. Her fingers were trembling slightly when she withdrew it and turned back to him, holding a length of it taut between her thumbs and forefingers. It was black silk, and very long.

"How about this item?" She knelt in front of him on the bed, draping it around her neck. The ends covered her breasts and hung past her waist.

He grasped the end of the scarf and drew it very slowly away from her. "Turn around, and I'll show you."

She shuffled obediently to face the other way, sitting on her haunches. The ankle strap of her shoes tugged at her flesh. She felt the bed shift behind her as he got to his knees, gathering first one hand and then the other behind her back. He wove her arms together with her forearms laced together, and she had no choice but to grip her upper arms above her elbows as he wound the scarf around her limbs. It pulled her shoulders back and arched her back even further.

"Is this alright?" His tone was tender as he knotted the material. "It's up to you if you want to keep going."

She pivoted on her knees to face him again. For someone who was not her type, he was certainly doing a good job of convincing her otherwise. "I do," she said simply. "And I like being on top."

His eyebrow lifted in surprise but he laughed at her boldness. "Why am I not surprised, your highness?"

He rose to kneel in front of her then and his fingers sprang the front closure on the lace bra. It was a scrap of a thing, unpadded and sheer. The kind of underwear she would never spend hard earned money on, the kind she and Jess scoffed at because it was destined to end up on the floor.

Its purpose was clear to her now, though, and she shivered with delight when he pushed the soft material to the sides to expose her breasts for his attentions. The binding of her arms made it so that she could not slouch, and her nipples pebbled instantly as he brushed his fingertips over them.

"Fuck- look at you, Rey," he breathed and the reverence in his voice broke a dam in her middle. Her eyes fell closed and her breathing hitched with a lump in her throat. "Look at your beautiful little tits." His stubble raked over her sensitive skin and she felt hot tears begin to leak down her cheeks. His gentleness suddenly overwhelmed her after his bossy insistence a few minutes before, and she pressed her lips together to hold back the sob that wracked her.

His tongue was beginning to tease her right side when he noticed and stopped abruptly, brushing the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs.

"Rey, what is it," he asked and reached around her to untie the scarf. "I'm sorry, did you not like-"

"No, I liked it," she cut him off. "I… I loved it, actually." She wiped her face with her freed hands and avoided looking at him. "I'm sorry, it's not you, really - it's not." He looked skeptical of her. "I've just been so, so lonely," she explained. "Like so much I didn't even realize it until just now," she gestured between them.

He didn't seem surprised at all. He propped himself up on one elbow and stared up at her with puppy eyes. "Me too." His face fell and he looked around at the wreck they'd made of the room with a sarcastic, dry laugh. "You think I did this out of the goodness of my heart? I did it because… I'm lonely as _fuck_ ," he pronounced, the consonants sending a shiver up her spine. Rey crossed her arms over her bare chest and she shivered for warmth.

"C'mere." Ben extended his hand and they crawled up the bed and under the covers. "Cuddle?"

They twined around one another without a word, and he pulled the covers over the top of them. She reached down and unbuckled her shoes, kicking them off down underneath the sheets at the bottom of the enormous bed. They lay on their sides, not speaking.

The room grew darker and Rey tracked the passage of time by a stripe of light on the wall that edged from the corner towards a picture frame in the middle. The chatter in the hallway died down as the last few guests straggled in, the ice machine went quiet, and the cries of a few cranky, overtired children finally ceased. His breathing was deep and even, and she wasn't sure he hadn't fallen asleep.

She shifted onto her back to look at him, and that was when it happened. One moment they were cuddling, and the next she was letting him make an aching, sweet love to her. They didn't say a word to each other, silently guiding one another's hands and bodies. It didn't matter that she wasn't on top. She let her legs twine around his waist and kissed him sloppily, not caring if people in the hallway heard it when she came, wrapped in a stranger's arms in a strange bed that felt like home.

He was dozing afterwards when the glow of her phone across the room caught her eye and she slipped from under his arm to check it.

It was Finn, of course.

 _Don't need details but r u OK?_

She was deciding how to reply when another message popped up. Thankfully her ringer was off.

 _He doesn't seem like a creep but u never know._

 _We both got smthg we needed for xmas,_ her thumbs flew over the screen. _And I am ok._

 _Merry xmas p-nut._

Rey smiled and replaced the phone to return to bed.

* * *

A/N: Happy Holidays! Please enjoy and I love hearing from readers!


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